639 
4 113 
22 

py 1 



o^h. "^m^r.. 



HOUSE 



I D 639 
. D4 113 
1922 
Copy 1 



No. 1500 



FURTHER REPORT 



SPECIAL COMMISSION APPOINTED TO IDENTIFY THE 
GRAVES OF THE MEN AND WOMEN OF MASSA- 
CHUSETTS WHO GAVE THEIR LIVES FOR 
THEIR COUNTRY IN FRANCE AND ELSE- 
WHERE DURING THE WORLD WAR 



March, 1922 



COMPLIMENTS OF 
S^LAS D. REED 

OF TAUNTON, 

Senator, First Bristol District 



BOSTON 

WRIGHT & POTTER PRINTING CO., STATE PRINTERS 

32 DERNE STREET 

1922 



r 



LIBRARY OF C0NQRI8S 

-iUHi 1922 
eoeuMCNTs division 



^^^] 






REPORT. 



To the Honorable Senate and House of Representatives. 

Gentlemen: — By the provisions of House Bill No. 1631 of 
the Acts of the year 1921, passed by the Legislature May 9, 
1921, the Commission to ascertain the most appropriate methods 
of caring for the graves of Massachusetts dead in foreign soil, 
appointed under the provisions of chapter 616 of the Acts of 
1920, was revived and continued for the purpose of carrying 
out the provisions of this act. 

The act says : — 

The commission, subject to the approval of the governor and council, 
is hereby authorized to employ a competent American sculptor and a 
French collaborator to. make necessary plans and subjects for a Massa- 
chusetts battle monument in the vicinity of the city of Saint Mihiel in 
France, and may, with like approval, acquire an appropriate site for such 
monument. The chairman of the commission and the secretary thereof 
shall visit the proper authorities in France for the purpose of consultation 
in regard to the selection of a proper site for said monument, and shall 
also investigate further the location of certain graves of soldiers not 
identified in its report already filed with the general court. 

For the purposes of this act an appropriation of not exceeding 
$6,000 was made, to be expended with the approval of the 
Governor and Council. 

The Commission first gave its attention to the selection of the 
sculptor and his collaborator. From conferences with the 
Massachusetts Art Commission, held at the State House, June 
28 and July 14, the Commission obtained a list of all the Ameri- 
can sculptors having Massachusetts affiliations who were judged 
by them to have done work on public or private order that 
qualified them to be considered, if the Commission opened a 
limited competition for the Massachusetts monument. The 
Art Commission took the trouble, also, to associate with each 
artist the notable works he had produced, so that the Commis- 
sion was able to get opinions of the quality of the work of some 



4 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 

of the sculptors, and in some instances even to view their 
productions. 

Even a hmited competition was found to be more expensive 
than could be met by the appropriation of the State. 

It remained for the Commission to make a selection from the 
list provided, and they did so. By unanimous vote, Daniel 
Chester French, having a studio near Stockbridge, Mass., was 
chosen. He promptly accepted the honor, and, in a conference 
with the Commission, suggested as collaborator, Mr. Henry 
Bacon of New York, the architect of the Lincoln Memorial at 
Washington. These names were at once presented to the Gov- 
ernor and Council as the choice of the Commission, and they 
were confirmed Aug. 10, 1921. The Commission learned that 
Mr. Bacon and Mr. French had been associated for twenty-five 
years in producing and giving an artistic setting to public monu- 
ments that the one or the other had contracted to erect. The 
statue of Lincoln within the memorial at Washington was the 
work of Mr. French. 

Mr. French approved the suggestion of the Commission that 
Mr. Bacon should accompany Mr. Robinson as adviser in the 
selection of the site near St. Mihiel, and the Governor and 
Council approved the rearrangement of the items in the budget 
to provide for his expenses. The chairman, the secretary and 
Mr. Bacon sailed for France August 17, and arrived in Paris 
August 24. 

With as little delay as possible, Mr. Robinson obtained an 
appointment with Ambassador Herrick, showed his credentials 
from the Governor of Massachusetts, and left with him a copy 
of the following letter: — 

Department of State, Washington, June 20, 1921. 

To the Diplomatic and Consular Oficers of the United States of America. 

Gentlemen : — At the instance of the Honorable Calvin Coolidge, 
Vice-President of the United States, I take pleasure in introducing to you 
Mr. Walter A. Robinson of Arlington, Mass., chairman of the Memorial 
Commission for Massachusetts Dead of the World War in Foreign Coun- 
tries, who is about to proceed abroad. 

I cordially bespeak for Mr. Robinson such courtesies and assistance 
as you may be able to render consistently with your official duties. ^^ 

I am. Gentlemen, ^.f j, ; 

Your obedient servant, -'■''^m 

Charles E. Hughes. 



1922.] HOUSE — No. 1500. 5 

Ambassador Herrick, being informed of the business to be 
furthered in behalf of the Commonwealth, directed his Military- 
Aid to place before Mr. Robinson all the correspondence and 
agreements entered into by the French Republic and the United 
States relating to the acquiring of sites and erection of memorial 
monuments in France in connection with the World War. The 
conclusion of the matter was that Massachusetts could acquire 
land anywhere in France by purchase or otherwise, but before 
it could be used for the purposes contemplated, a formal vote 
of approval, after investigation and full information given, must 
be given by the municipal authorities of the town or city in 
which the land is situated. 

This vote and an application for approval must then be filed 
with the Sub-Prefect of the department in which the town is 
situated. If he gives his assent, one may proceed to acquire the 
land desired. With this information in hand, Mr. Robinson, 
the secretary, and Mr. Bacon proceeded to St. Mihiel. The 
plan agreed upon for this visit was to traverse all the roads for 
two or three miles out of St. Mihiel; to examine all possible 
sites for the memorial; and then to make ourselves and our 
business known to the mayor of the town for suggestions from 
him. 

We chose as the most eligible site a position in front of the 
Rocks, a natural landmark, monumental in character, about 
one-half mile from the Hotel de Ville of St. Mihiel, east of the 
St. Mihiel- Verdun State highway, and parallel with the Meuse 
River. 

In the afternoon, by appointment, we called upon Mayor 
Taton- Vassal, and consulted with him regarding the proposed 
location of a Massachusetts monument near his city. He 
seemed favorable to the idea and suggested that he go with us 
to point out a lot which could be acquired with little or no ex- 
pense to the State. This lot proved to be sightly, and was in 
the vicinity of the cemetery of the unidentified French dead, 
numbering many thousands, who had fallen in the various as- 
saults upon the German positions in the effort to recover St. 
Mihiel. A temporary monument had already been erected in 
the center of the lot, and was to be replaced in time by a per- 
manent one. The approach to this lot was over the Apremont 



6 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 

road for two miles, and then by a farm road for a mile farther. 
We thought it inaccessible. Returning to Paris, Mr. Bacon 
took Mr. Robinson to many of the most noted monuments and 
memorials in and near Paris, and made many studies of the 
possibilities of the Rocks as a site for the Massachusetts me- 
morial. 

Paris, France, Aug. 31, 1921. 

Dear Mr. Robinson: — After considering all of the sites visited by us 
in St. Mihiel on the 27th instant, I recommend for the site of the Massa- 
chusetts memorial the one we inspected by the Rocks of St. Mihiel on the 
road between St. Mihiel and Verdun. The names of these two places are 
in the minds of all Americans, and a memorial placed on the site men- 
tioned above will have its significance enhanced by its close association 
with these names. 

The site I recommend is about one-half mile from St. Mihiel, and is 
prominently visible from the railway station and easily accessible by the 
main road to Verdun. 

The scenery is monumental in character, and the high rocks behind 
the site will form a fine setting for the memorial. In the foreground is 
the Meuse River, flowing parallel to the Verdun road, adding another 
historic name to the site. 

I recommend that an area of land be acquired there, approximately 
250 feet long, and of a width extending from the Verdun road to the Rocks. 
If possible, I further recommend that a larger area be secured so as to 
include the five rocks shown in the sketch I have given to you, and an 
area of land on the plateau above the Rocks, this last area to be approxi- 
mately 100 feet wide. The German trenches are on this plateau just be- 
hind the Rocks, and, preserved, would be of historic interest in connec- 
tion with the memorial. 

The above entire area could easily be made into a natural park in the 
center of which would be the Massachusetts inemorial. 

This is one of the best sites I have ever seen for a memorial of the char- 
acter desired. 

Yours very truly, 

Henry Bacon. 

To Walter A. Robinson, Chairman, 

Memorial Commission for Massachusetts Dead of 
World War in Foreign Countries. 

Meanwhile, Mr. Robinson had presented the following letter 
to Col. H. F. Rethers, head of the Graves Registration Service 
in Europe: — • 



1922.] HOUSE — No. 1500. 7 

Wab Department, Washington. 

Oficers of the United States Army on Duty in France. 

The Massachusetts State Memorial Commission for Massachusetts 
Dead of the World War in Foreign Countries is about to proceed to Europe 
for the purpose of visiting cemeteries in which the dead of that State are 
interred. 

This Commission desires such assistance in the performance of its 
mission as can be rendered, and I desire the military authorities now on 
duty in the countries it may visit to extend all courtesies to the members, 
and extend whatever material aid is possible in conformity with army 
regulations. 

John W. Weeks, 
Secretary of War. 

Colonel Rethers was very willing to detail his liaison officer, 
Capt. Eugene Le Roch, through whom he had conducted the 
purchase of land on behalf of the United States for the enlarge- 
ment of the permanent cemeteries, to guide and assist Mr. 
Robinson in securing options upon the land that should be 
chosen for the memorial. Captain Le Roch was furnished with 
the following letter, that he might not exceed the authority 
given to the chairman of the Commission by the act of the 
General Court. 

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS, 

Memorial Commission for Massachusetts Dead of World War 
IN Foreign Countries. 

Paris, Aug. 29, 1921. 

Captain Eugene Le Roch, 8 Avenve d'lena, Paris. 

My Dear Sir : — Referring to our conversation thi,s afternoon regard- 
ing my mission in France at this time. As chairman of the Memorial 
Commission for Massachusetts Dead of World War in Foreign Countries 
I am directed to "visit the proper authorities in France for the purpose 
of consultation in regard to the selection of a proper site for a Massa- 
chusetts battle monument, and the Commission is authorized to employ 
a competent American sculptor and a collaborator to make necessary 
plans and subjects for this monument in the vicinity of the city of St. 
Mihiel in France, and may, with the approval of the Governor and Coun- 
cil, acquire an appropriate site for such monument." 

With the approval of the Governor and Council Mr. Daniel Chester 
French of New York has been appointed sculptor for this monument, and 
Mr. Henry Bacon, the New York architect, has been appointed coUabora- 



8 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 

tor, and has been directed to proceed to France with Mr. Robinson to 
assist him in selecting the site for the monument. Mr. Robinson and Mr. 
Bacon, in accordance with these instructions, have selected the site in 
front of the Rocks, a well-known place about nine-tenths of a kilometer 
from the center of St. Mihiel on the road to Verdun. Mr. Bacon will join 
Mr. Robinson in recommending to the Governor and Council that the 
Commonwealth of Massachusetts acquire this site and make the follow- 
ing use of it : erect in front of the third rock from the north a noble monu- 
ment to the valor of Massachusetts citizens who took part in the World 
War; lay out the land adjacent to the monument in a beautiful park for 
the use of the citizens of St. Mihiel. Mr. Robinson and Mr. Bacon are 
informed that the ultimate disposition of such memorials is to place the 
monument in the custody of the Ministry of Fine Arts for perpetual care, 
and the surrounding park in the hands of the local commiune for a recrea- 
tion center. They see no reason to question that the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts would honor itself and the noble French people who have 
been the companions in arms and in aims of the United States for more 
than a century by taking a similar action. 

Very truly, 

Waltek a. Robinson, 

Chairman. 

Captain Le Roch, Mr. Bacon and Mr. Robinson returned to 
St. Mihiel, and in the absence of Mayor Taton secured the 
assistance of the first and second assistants to the mayor, Mes- 
siers Lazilliere and Thonin, and thoroughly canvassed the 
Rocks and the land adjoining which had been included in the 
scope of Mr. Bacon's sketch accompanying his letter to Mr. 
Robinson. 

These gentlemen had been informed of the proposed visit and 
its purpose by the following letter: — 

Hotel Continental, Paris, Aug. 31, 1921. 

His Honor Mayoe Taton-Vassal, St. Mihiel (Meuse), France. 

My Dear Sir : — In accordance with our understanding with you, 
entered into last Sunday, August 28, Mr. Bacon and myself have arranged 
to visit your city again next Monday, September 5, coming from Bar-le- 
Duc by auto in the morning. We shall be accompanied by Capt. Eugene 
Le Roch, liaison officer of Col. H. F. Rethers, the head of the American 
Graves Registration Service for European Countries. We desire to place 
definitely before Your Honor a site for the proposed Massachusetts me- 
morial monument, in securing which we have already the promise of your 
powerful and hearty co-operation. 

Colonel Rethers suggests that it would promote the definiteness of the 




Section D 
d;ie it 



r^ J^'iL ' i',^' 



Section of Assessors' Map of Estates, St. Mihiel, Prance. 



1922. 



HOUSE — No. 1500. 



objects of our conference if you would secure the presence of the Agent- 
Voyer of St. Mihiel with his road maps of such of the Verdun road as is 
included in the municipality of St. Mihiel. 

With great respect, 
Very truly, 

Walter A. Robinson, 

Chairman. 

After dinner, at Hotel de Ville, an assessor was present with 
his books, and with the assistance of the superintendent of 
streets, Captain Le Roch drew the following plan of the land 
involved, the "hatched" part being the boundaries of Mr. 
Bacon's sketch plan. The numbers on the parcels on the 
accompanying map are those on the books of the assessors, and 
following the map is a list of the owners of the several prop- 
erties and the area of each. These have been changed into the 
English measure of surface-square yards. 



List of Estates included in Options. 



No. OP Parcel. 


Owner. 


Area in 
Square Yards. 


Value 
in Francs 

(stated 
in Option). 


Value 

in Dollars 

(Franc, 

October, 

8 cents). 


4 . . . . 
75 ... . 

88 ... . 

5 . . . . 

8 . . . . 

9 . . . . 

11 ... . 

10 ... . 

12 ... . 

13 ... . 

14 ... . 

15 ... . 

19 ... . 

16 ... . 

17 ... . 

20 ... . 
203 . 

74 ... . 

490 \ 
491/ • 


M. Ruse Henri . 
M. Ruse Henri . 
M. Ruse Henri . 

M. Berard .... 

M. Richard 
M. Richard 
M. Richard 

City of St. Mihiel 
City of St. Mihiel 
City of St. Mihiel 
City of St. Mihiel 
City of St. Mihiel 
City of St. Mihiel 

M. Ruse . . . 

M. Ruse .... 

M. Perrin .... 

Mmes. Garet 

M. Lavignon . 

Mme. Moinet 


2,760 

4,038 

, 4,116 

2,760 

2,760 
2,760 
4,988 

462 
378 
576 
636 
996 
1,560 

2,760 
2,760 

1,635 

1,637 

4,038 

/ 576 
\ 9,960 


10,914 
10,508 

4,608 
5,520 

10,536 


10,000 

1,500 

f 85,0001 
1 25,0002 

Free. 

3,000 

18,000 

35,000 

4,000 

20,000 


S800 

120 

6,800 
2,000 

240 

1,600 

2,800 

320 

1,600 




48,146 




201,500 


816,280 



1 Three new stone buildings. ^ Land. ^ A caf6. 

Nearly 10 acres, including gift of nearly 1 acre from the city of St. Mihiel. 



10 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 

At this point the next step seemed to be to employ a com- 
petent notary to see if the owners of the land would agree to 
give up their holdings at a reasonable price. Mr. Georges 
Leclerc was selected, he being the oldest advocate in St. Mihiel, 
and a member of the Municipal Council. He was endorsed by 
the executive of the city as thoroughly reliable. Returning to 
Paris Mr. Bacon and the chairman conferred for several days, 
and were confirmed in their decision that the lot they had 
chosen at St. Mihiel was pre-eminently fitting for a Massachu- 
setts memorial monument. Mr. Bacon started for home Sept- 
ember 8, and on that date Mr. Robinson sent the following 
letter to the mayor of St. Mihiel : — 

Pabis, Sept. 8, 1921. 
To the Mayor of St. Mihiel (Meuse). 

Dear Sir : — During a recent visit I informed you of the intention of 
the Massachusetts State to erect a monument to the memory of the soldiers 
of that State who fell on the battlefield. 

It seemed that the most suitable district for the erection of that monu- 
ment was that of St. Mihiel, where American troops co-operated with the 
French forces in the fight for the reduction of the salient and the deliver- 
ance of St. Mihiel, and Mr. Bacon and I thought that the spot to be se- 
lected would probably be found just outside your town. 

The place which has been chosen is situated at the foot of the cliffs, 
900 meters north of St. Mihiel along the Verdun road. 

The intention of the Committee, of which I am the chairman, is to 
erect a monument surrounded by a park which will be offered to the town 
of St. Mihiel to make use of after it has been completed. Thus the pres- 
ence of 40,000 soldiers of the Massachusetts State among the 600,000 
American soldiers who fought around St. Mihiel will be commemorated. 

I have handed to Mr. LaziUiere, first "adjoint" of St. Mihiel, a rough 
sketch of what the monument is to be. I will send you a detailed plan of 
same in due time. 

The ground which would be required, both for the erection of the monu- 
ment and the laying out of the park, will include the following plots of 
the cadastral plan: Section A, called "de Versel" plots Nos. 4, 5, 10, 11, 
12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 20, 73, 74, 75 and 88; Section D, called "de 
Morvaux" plots Nos. 490 and 491. 

I would ask you kindly to let me know : — 

1. Whether the mimicipality of St. Mihiel will give its approval to the 
scheme of the erection of the monument and laying out of the park. 

2. Whether the municipality of St. Mihiel will place at the disposal of 
our Committee plots Nos. 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 19 which belong to 
the town, it being understood that the Rocks classified by the "Com- 
mission des Sites" will not be disturbed. 



1922.] HOUSE — No. 1500. 11 

As soon as I have your approval I will apply for the necessary authori- 
zations to the Minister of Fine Arts. 

Believe me, dear sir, 

Yours very truly, 

Waltee a. Robinson, 

Chairman. 

During the next four weeks after his appointment, Mr. Le- 
clerc reported progress, and assured the chairman that in his 
judgment the entire site could be secured. 

On September 24 the action of the mayor and council of St. 
Mihiel was received in the following document: — 

(Translation.) 
THE REPUBLIC OF FRANCE. 
City Hall of the City of St. Mihiel. 

A Part op the Records of the Business transacted by the 
Municipal Council of the Commune of St. Mihiel. 

Central Law Courts op the Meuse. Meeting of Sept. 22, 1921. 

The Municipal Council of the Commune of St. Mihiel came together 
at the usual place of the meetings in answer to a notice made in the form 
and method prescribed by article 48 of the law of April 5, 1844, under the 
presidency of Mr. Taton, the mayor. 

There were present: Messrs. Taton, Lazilliere, Thonin, Adnet, Leclerc, 
Chabert, Douillot, Laurent, Deloison, Richard, Ravier, Motlet, Bernard, 
Cauderlier, Lombard, Ralx, Douillet, Duvan and Laumont. 

Absent members: Messrs. Mann, Simon and Henry. 

Memorial Monument. — The Municipal Council, after having had 
presented to them the correspondence relative to a memorial monument 
which the Commonwealth of Massachusetts proposes to erect at St. Mihiel, 
and having listened to the explanations of their president, desires ear- 
nestly to address to the State of Massachusetts, to the Memorial Com- 
mission, and to the distinguished Commissioners, Mr. Walter A. Robinson 
and Mr. Henry Bacon, the most warm and sincere expression of their 
heartfelt gratitude. 

They unite whole-heartedly in the single thought of admiration and 
remembrance of the 40,000 young men of the State of Massachusetts who 
in a magnificent advance and with the most splendid heroism contributed 
to the reduction of the salient of St. Mihiel, and co-operated in the de- 
liverance of this little martyr city. 

The Municipal Council returns to the Memorial Commission its most 
hearty thanks for the particularly flattering choice made by it of our city 



12 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 

for the definite site of the monument destined to commemorate the 
bravery of her soldiers, and also to consecrate anew the name of the city of 
St. Mihiel as a symbol in America of the Great Allied Victory of Septem- 
ber, 1918, and of the final triumph of the principles of right and justice. 

We are happy and proud of this new evidence of the fraternal ties 
which will unite forever the Grand Republic beyond the Atlantic and the 
city of St. Mihiel. 

The Municipal Council votes unanimously: — • 

First, to give its approval, without reserve, to the plan to erect a monu- 
ment and to lay out a park at the north gateway of the city upon the 
State road to Verdun. 

Second, to place at the immediate disposal of the Committee on the 
memorial parcels numbered 10, 12, 13, 14, 15, 17 and 19, which are the 
property of the city, it being understood that there will not be made any 
modifications of the general aspect of the Rocks which are listed by the 
Commission of Sites, for their pastoral and picturesque character, as well 
as the historic associations connected with them, live in the hearts of our 
people, and have always called forth the admiration of travelers. 

The members present have assented to these votes by their signatures. 
This is vouched for by the signature of the mayor. 

Taton-Vassal, 

Mayor. 

It was now necessary to address the Sub-Prefect of the Meuse 
for his approval of the Massachusetts project. Here follow a 
translation of the letter sent to him October 5 and his answer 
received October 17. 

Paris, Oct. 5, 1921. 

To the Sub-Prefect of Commercy (Meuse), Hon. Toucas-Massillon. 

My Dear Sir : — The State of Massachusetts has decided to erect in 
France a monument to the memory of the soldiers of that State dead on 
the Field of Honor. The site chosen for this monument is in the environs 
800 meters north of St. Mihiel by the side of the St. Mihiel- Verdun road at 
a place called the Rocks. 

The Municipal Council of St. Mihiel, at a special meeting of Sept. 22, 
1921, has promptly granted the authority desired to erect a monument 
and to place at the use of the Memorial Committee certain parcels of 
land which are the property of the city. 

I would be very much obliged if you would grant me, in the name of 
Massachusetts, the authority to have this monument erected, and to lay 
out a park which, after completion, may be offered by the State of Massa- 
chusetts to the city of St. Mihiel. 

You will find enclosed : — 

1. A rough sketch indicating the land of which the State of Massachu- 
setts desires to make purchase. An outline plan of the monument has 



1922.] HOUSE — No. 1500. 13 

been sent to the mayor of St. Mihiel. When the detailed plan has been 
completed, I will forward it to you in order to give you full information 
of the bearings of the present request. 

2. A copy of the vote of the Municipal Council of St. Mihiel. 
Please accept, Mr. Sub-Prefect, the assurance of my distinguished 
consideration. 

Very truly, 

Walter A. Robinson, 

Chairman. 

REPUBLIC OF FRANCE. 

Sub-Prefecture of Commercy. 

COMMERCY, Oct. 15, 1921. 

My Dear Mr. Robinson: — In reply to your letter of October 5 I 
have the honor of informing you that, following a careful examination 
at St. Mihiel of the plan of a monument which the Commonwealth of 
Massachusetts intends to erect in the environs of that city, I have to-day 
transmitted to His Excellency the Prefect of the Meuse your request and 
the vote of the Municipal Council of St. Mihiel, asking for his approval. 

At the outset I have called the attention of the Prefect to your request 
to have an early decision of this question. 

Permit me to join my thanks to those of the city of St. Mihiel. It is a 
great honor to my department that you have chosen this city, whose name 
is closely connected with the glory of the American armies, to commemo- 
rate the memory of the soldiers of Massachusetts dead upon the Field 
of Honor. 

Be willing to accept, my dear sir, the assurances of my high considera- 
tion. 

Very truly, 

Toucas-Massillon, 

Sub-Prefect. 

On the same date word came that Mayor Taton had called 
a special meeting of the Municipal Council for Monday, Octo- 
ber 17, to honor officially the representatives of Massachusetts. 
He begged them to dine at his house in the evening with the 
Sub-Prefect and other guests. 

At the council meeting Notary Leclerc placed in Mr. Robin- 
son's hands the signed options upon the land desired for the 
monument and park. The cordiality of the felicitations ad- 
dressed to Massachusetts could not be surpassed in heartiness, 
and the addresses were given with French fervor and eloquence. 



14 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 

On a previous page is a table giving the proprietors of the 
parcels and the values of their holdings in francs as appear in 
the options the Commonwealth holds, binding for six months 
from about the middle of October, 1921. It will be noticed 
that in some cases there is a single owner for several pieces of 
land, and that the land upon which the six rocks stand and the 
Rocks themselves are to be a gift to the Commonwealth by the 
city of St. Mihiel. 

(Translation of Option.) 
Promise to sell by the Family Peein. 

The undersigned : 

First, Madame Victoria Aubriot, without business, dwelling at St. 
Mihiel, widow of M. Peter Perin; 

Second, Mr. Sir Gaston Perin, architect, dwelling at St. Mihiel; 

Third, Madame Eugenie Perin, without business, widow after separat- 
ing from the body of Eugene Timmerman, dwelling also at St. Mihiel; 

Fourth, M. Peter Lucien Perin of Brichamcourt and Madame Yvonne 
Hersent, his wife, who also assents living together at Art sur Meurthe 
(M. and Mile.); 

Fifth, M. Georges Yules Claude Perrin of Brichamcourt and Madame 
Alice Mary Henrietta Espern, his wife, who also assents living together 
in the same place; 

Sixth, Madame Louise Georgette Perin, without business, dwelling at 
Chaumont, widow of Mr. Arsine Jalaine; 

Agree by these presents, jointly and severally, among themselves, and 
until April 1, 1922, to the Commonwealth of Massachusetts (United 
States of America) the right to acquire the following real estate : — 

City of St. Mihiel, Garden. 
The garden situated at St. Mihiel, under Calvarie, between the prop- 
erty Gavel, the garden Noryeux and the hill Calvarie, cadastre. Section A, 
recorded page 20. 

Possession. 

Entrance into possession will be given upon the carrying out of the 
agreements by a legal act. 

The price agreed upon is eight thousand francs in cash, payable upon 
the completion of the legal formalities. 

The sale, if it takes place, will be consummated by a legal act before Mr. 
Leclerc, notary at St. Mihiel, chosen by State that acquires the property. 



1922.] HOUSE — No. 1500. 15 

Done at St. Mihiel the 1st of November, 1921, and at Art sur Meurthe 
the 30th of November, 1921. 
Read and approved. 

V. Perin, Aubriot. 

G. Perin. 

E. Walaine. 

E. Zimmerman. 

P. Perrin of Brichamcourt. 

Y. Perrin of Brichamcourt. 

Baron Perrin, Brichamcourt. 

A, Perrin, Brichamcourt. 

Certified copy of the original made by Mr. Georges Leclerc, notary at 
St. Mihiel, at his residence (Meuse), done at St. Mihiel, Dec. 6, 1921. 

G. Leclerc. 

Mr. G. Leclerc 




St. Mihiel 



16 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 



DESCRIPTION OF PROPOSED MASSACHUSETTS WAR MEMO- 
RIAL, ST. MIHIEL, FRANCE. 

Site. 

The site proposed for the Massachusetts war memorial near 
St. Mihiel is a splendid one. From the Meuse River it rises 
to a high plateau about 300 feet distant from the river. At 
the edge of this plateau, parallel with the river, is a series of 
six huge cliffs, or rocks, behind which are the trenches occupied 
during the war by the Germans who were forced to vacate 
them shortly before the armistice. 

About 100 feet in front of the Rocks, and parallel with them 
and the river, is a fine military road connecting St. Mihiel and 
Verdun, running lengthways through the property. 

The site proposed for the memorial faces the road and river, 
and is on the axis of the fourth rock from the town of St. 
Mihiel which is only one-half of a mile away. 

The general idea proposed for the memorial site is to create 
a space flanked by groves of trees in front of the Rock, which 
will form the background for a monumental piece of sculpture. 
The large scale of the Rock and its surroundings will make an 
impressive setting for the memorial. 

The whole area of land included in the site is approximately 
10 acres, and no better position in France could be selected for 
a war memorial. 

Memorial. 

Steps and terraces lead up from the road to the Rock, and 
near the Rock rises a pedestal 14 feet long and 8 feet wide, 
shaped and decorated like an altar, which is surmounted by a 
bronze-winged figure 16 feet high with arms stretched out in 
benediction over a recumbent bronze figure draped with the flag 
of the United States. This recumbent figure rests on a low 
pedestal placed at the base of the altar, and surrounding it is a 
series of tablets on which are inscribed the names of the dead. 
The seal of the State of Massachusetts ends the series of names. 

The total length of the masonry treatment along the road- 
way is 250 feet, and the depth is 90 feet. The central terrace, 
paved with pebbles laid in rectangular panels, is 58 feet wide 
and 78 feet deep. 



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The Angel of Benediction. 



1922.] HOUSE — No. 1500. 17 

The height of this terrace above the roadway is 4 feet, and 
the top of the winged figure is 40 feet above the roadway. It 
is planned to have all of the stone work (except the retaining 
wall on each side of the monument along the road, which will 
be of French local stone) of American granite, cut in this country 
with a rubbed surface to bring out the color. 

Work surrounding Memorial. 

The present aspect of the grounds surrounding the memorial 
between the roadway and the plateau above the Rocks is such 
that little should be done in the way of artificial treatment. 
The scheme proposed provides for a simple promenade bordered 
with trees leading from each side of the upper terrace of the 
memorial to the extremities of the lot, where access to it is had 
by steps from the roadway. The landscape around the base 
of the Rocks should not be disturbed, as it is well grown with 
good-sized trees, and is in character with the rugged rocks 
rising above them. 

The grounds between the roadway and the river are now used 
as vegetable gardens. The proposed plan shows a large open 
grassed space in the center, bordered on each side with a double 
row of trees, between which are steps leading down from the 
roadway to the lower level of the towpath along the Meuse. 
This open space provides a good vista of the memorial from 
the opposite side of the river, and this vista is essential, as the 
memorial will be in full view from the railway line, to and from 
St. Mihiel. 

Identification of Graves. 
Under the provisions of the bill that directed the chairman 
and secretary to "investigate further the location of certain 
graves of soldiers not identified in its report already filed with 
the general court," the Commission reports that they com- 
pleted the identification of the graves of all Massachusetts 
soldiers in France with the exception of a few graves in two 
or three cemeteries in which exhumation for concentration into 
the permanent cemeteries was going on. Photographs were 
taken of all the markers. These have been developed and two 
copies of each made, one of which has been sent to the next 



18 HOUSE — No. 1500. [Mar. 1922. 

of kin and the other filed as a permanent record of the work 
of the Commission. 

Recommendations. 

The Commission recommends that, in accordance with the 
provisions of House Bill No. 1631 of the Acts of 1921, quoted 
above, the Governor and Council approve the site for the me- 
morial monument at St. Mihiel (Meuse), France, which has been 
bonded in the name of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 
and direct the Commission to acquire the property, in the event 
that the Legislature has appropriated money for that purpose. 

The Commission further recommends that the plans and sub- 
jects now on exhibition in Boston, presented by the sculptor, 
Mr. Daniel Chester French of Stockbridge, Mass., and Mr, 
Henry Bacon, architect and collaborator of New York, be ap- 
proved, and that the Commission be revived and, continued, 
and directed, in co-operation with Messrs. French and Bacon, 
to secure estimates of the cost, in detail, of laying out the pro- 
posed park at St. Mihiel, of preparing the immediate site for 
the monument in the park, of modeling the monument and 
casting it in bronze, of cutting the stones for the court and 
steps, of cutting and carving the pedestal, by Massachusetts 
workmen, and of all other items of expense likely to be incurred 
until the monument is in its place at St. Mihiel, and that the 
report of their findings be submitted to the General Court on or 
before May 1, 1922. 

Respectfully submitted, 

WALTER A. ROBINSON, Chairman. 
AXEL E. ZETTERMAN. 



LIBRARY OF CONGRESS 



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